Improvement in mail-bag fastenings



A. H. ENHOLIL MAIL BAG FASTENING.

Patented July 4, 1876.

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. INVENTOR By Attorney fly 'tPZrERS. PHOTO-LITHQGFAPHER, wunmmou. 0 C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AXEL ENHOLM, OF MAHOPAO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD HIS RIGHT TO GEORGE K.CHASE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN MAIL-BAG FASTENINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 179,449, dated July 4,1876'; application filed April 26, 1876.

thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure l is a plan view, showing the fastening closed and locked. Fig. 2is .a plan view, showing the fastening opened. Fig. 3 is a sectionalView on line 00 x of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 3 y ofFig. 2.

My invention relates to mail-bag fasteners, and consists of a series ofpivoted tongues, connected with jointed cranks and adjusted to besimultaneously introduced into and extended through the wire staples, sothat the bag may be fastened or unfastened in a moment by a singlemotion of the hand.

A is the bag, and A the flap. B represents the guard-plates riveted tothe flap, and provided with slots to receive the staples b, which areriveted to the bag. 0 represents a series of cranks connected by pivotaljoints 2, and riveted bolts e, and are adjusted to" oscillate in staplesc, riveted to the guard-plates. D represents a 'series of tongues,formed as shown, and pivoted loosely on the bolts 6, and provided withslots d to receive and slide loosely on the bolts a, riveted to theguardplates and provided with angular heads forming flanges to guide thetongues, and to prevent them from slipping off the bolts. E is thehasp-plate, fastened to a bolt, 0, connected at one end to the jointedcranks by a pivotal joint, and held at the other end by and adjusted torockin the staple c, riveted to a plate, B, which is riveted to theflap.

The lock F is attached to the bag in position to receive the hasp on theplate E. And any other hasp-lock may be used with this fastening. Thecranks are connected by pivotal joints, as described and shown, torender them flexible, andthus less liable to be bent or broken by anypressure or force to which, in handling and in transportation, themailbags are subjected.

My invention is not confined to any particular mode of jointing thecranks. To close up and fasten the bag, the cranks and tongues areturned up and the flap turned down, and the staples inserted through theslots in the guard-plates, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawings;and the turning of the hasp-plate down upon the lock turns the cranksdown, and slides simultaneously all of the tongues through thefastening-staples, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings; and inunfastening and opening the bag, the lifting of the hasp-plate from thelock turns the cranks up and withdraws simultaneously all of the tonguesfrom the staples; and thus in a moment, and by the same motion of thehand required to open and close the lock, the mail-bag fastener isopened and closed.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is p 1. Aseries of tongues, D, pivoted to flexible cranks O, and adapted to bevertically moved, simultaneously in and out of the fastening staples,substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. A series of jointed flexible cranks, (J, in combination with thepivoted slotted tongues D, and fastening-staples b, substantially as andfor the purposes described.

3. The tongues D having slots d, in combination with bolts a, cranks C,and staples 11, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. The mail-bag fastening mechanism, constructed substantially asdescribed, adapted to be operated by the locking-hasp in opening andclosing the bag, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own invention I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

AXEL H. ENHOLM. Witnesses E. G. WEAVER, G. B. ToWLEs.

